The French international, also on Tottenham Hotspur’s radar this summer, has shown himself to be one of the finest defensive midfield players in the Premier League in recent times, really catching the eye for the Saints in 2014/15 with some commanding displays.

This has seen a number of top clubs show an interest, with the Telegraph claiming that Arsenal and Tottenham are still monitoring Schneiderlin’s situation at the St Mary’s Stadium this summer after United’s failed offer.

The report claims that Southampton still hope to make £25m from Schneiderlin’s sale, with United previously paying big money for arguably less impressive players like Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini in that area of the pitch.

It remains to be seen if Arsenal or Spurs will be lining up an offer themselves, with the Telegraph stating that the two north London clubs do not currently wish to get caught up in a bidding war for the 25-year-old.

It may be that Arsene Wenger is content with Francis Coquelin for that midfield role, with the young Frenchman shining in the team last season after being recalled from a loan spell at Charlton Athletic, looking precisely the kind of player the club was crying out for to protect their defence, which resulted in some much improved results in the second half of the season.

Tottenham, meanwhile, could do with strengthening after missing out on the Champions League again, and manager Mauricio Pochettino will know all about Schneiderlin’s qualities from his time in charge of the Saints.